1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a joystick control for use with a computer that is loaded with an aircraft flight simulator program and equipped with a computer joystick assembly having a housing and a joystick lever electrically coupled to provide inputs to the computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years a number of different flight simulation computer software programs have been developed for use with different types of personal computers. A typical flight simulation computer software program creates an electronically generated CRT display that simulates the images which a pilot sees from the cockpit of an aircraft and images of instrument readings which a pilot would see in actually flying an aircraft. To achieve interaction with a person operating the computer loaded with the flight simulation program, a computer joystick assembly is typically provided. The computer joystick assembly allows the operator to provide inputs to the computer indicative of actions which the operator would take within the cockpit while flying an aircraft. These inputs are electronically encoded within the computer, and the CRT display of the computer is altered to indicate the results which the operator inputs would have upon the images viewed from the cockpit of the aircraft and upon the instrument readings within the cockpit of the aircraft.
A typical computer joystick assembly includes a rigid casing, usually formed as a generally rectangular box-shaped plastic housing, and a small control lever joined to the housing by a pivot connection and protruding upwardly therefrom. A computer joystick control lever is typically on the order of about three inches in length, and seldom exceeds five inches in length. Also, a computer joystick control lever is manipulated by gripping the upwardly projecting extremity of the control lever between the thumb and finger of one hand, while cradling or stabilizing the computer joystick assembly housing with the other hand. Since the control lever of a computer joystick control assembly is so short, the maximum movement of the free extremity of the lever in any direction is usually on the order of less than two inches. While the control lever of a computer joystick assembly is spring biased to a centered position, the control lever can be deflected to a maximum extent with a force of less than an ounce, which may be applied by a single finger of one hand. These two factors, namely relatively small movement with little resistance to such movements, typically result in overcontrol of an aircraft leading to erratic flight.
The control stick of an actual aircraft, on the other hand, is often a stick which is typically at least fifteen inches in length and is equipped with a handgrip at its upwardly projecting extremity. The handgrip is of a size and shape adapted to be grasped by the pilot with one hand such that the fingers of the hand curl around the grip in one direction, and the thumb wraps around the grip in the opposite direction. In contrast to the movement of a control lever of a computer joystick assembly, the actual control stick of an aircraft will move a distance typically on the order of about nine or ten inches at its extremity, which more nearly approximates the degree of movement used in actual flying. Moreover, when a pilot actually does laterally deflect the control stick to alter the attitude of the aircraft, the pilot will feel a significant resisting force transmitted through the control stick. The pilot must exert a countervailing force which is easily in excess of a pound applied at the handgrip in order to effectuate the translational movement of the aircraft control stick that is desired, giving a more realistic "feel" to the control stick.
In an actual aircraft the pilot has available manually rotatable twin adjustments which impart a desired attitude to the aircraft by moving the nose up or down and/or right or left. That is, the pilot of an actual aircraft has an adjustment which will maintain a particular force upon the tail elevators and rudder so as to exert a bias to effectuate trim control, which is necessary under most flight situations. In a computer joystick assembly, on the other hand, the operator does not have any means for applying any type of bias to the joystick assembly lever.
While conventional flight simulation computer software programs for use with home computers are fairly realistic in representing visual images that a pilot is likely to experience in flying an aircraft, tactile sensations which a pilot experiences in actually flying an aircraft have been almost totally ignored. Virtually all pilots who operate a home computer flight simulation program would agree that there is practically no "feel" of flying associated with such computer progams.